Vader - _Black To The Blind_(Impact, 1997)by: Paul Schwarz (9 out of 10)

This is a great death metal album with brutality and brilliance oozing from every pore. In general the songs are shorter and faster (10 songs/29 minutes approx.) than on previous efforts. Vader have not, however, neglected to use dynamics: songs like "Carnal" and "True Names" slow down the pace and successfully punctuate an album which -could- have become boring and samey. Vader have a very clear and extremely powerful production, Peter's vocals and Doc's drumming being gifted with particular menace this time around. _BttB_ is essential if you loved _De Profundis_ and is also worth checking out (along with _DP_) if you like Slayer. Vader combine Slayer's energy with the late 80s grindcore sounds of bands like Terrorizer and emerge with one of the finest death metal sounds in the scene today. _DP_ still remains a better album, but this is really the only thing which brings _BttB_ down a point; it can't be perfect if you've heard better, especially out of the same band. _DP_ proved to the world that Vader were one of the most important bands in the death metal scene today. _Black To The Blind_ backs this up and also shows that they have the staying power to be around for quite a while yet.